What, Where, When, Why
by crazy alligator
Summary: Drabbleish oneshot.  Trying to piece together exactly how one's feelings have developed for another is a mysterious puzzle, one that Ichigo cannot help but try and solve.  IchiHime.


So I was in the mood to write something IchiHime, and I wanted to make it a nice oneshot. So here it is.

What, Where, When, Why

What had it been?

Had it been her long, burnt-orange hair that flowed freely down her back, pulled behind her ears and fastened with those blue six-pronged clips? Or had it been her eyes? Those kind, large eyes which were colored the deepest of brown, and showed concern and compassion for everyone and everything, be it friend or foe? Perhaps it was simply her face in general, that combination of her delicate nose, her pretty mouth, her entrancing eyes, and her tiny ears, features which belonged solely to herself and could be described with no other adjective than the one we know as beautiful.

There was her body to consider as well, her gorgeous curves and wide hips, not to mention her larger-than-normal breasts which hung from her chest, but for some reason, Ichigo never took nearly as much notice of things like that as he did to the look in her eyes when she would greet him every morning in homeroom, or the beauty of her face when it wore a smile, something which he was reminded often due to the fact that she was constantly joyful.

If anything, he thought, it was most likely her personality, her kind soul and enormous heart. Something that had slowly, yet surely, broken his long-hardened heart down and invaded it, filling it with a feeling he hadn't felt since the death of his mother years ago.

Where would he confess?

It was often an inquiry of the orange-haired teen at where he would confess to his lovely angel, if at ever he even decided to let her know of his secret feelings. Should it be something romantic, with a dreamy fairy tale setting? A private, candlelit dinner under the stars with roses flooding the table followed by a sweeping of his lovely princess off of her feet and then a declaration of his undying love?..No, that was much too cliché. Not that he minded cliche's, but what with his personality, Ichigo didn't have the confidence in himself to execute something as elaborate as that.

Maybe, he thought, he could achieve the execution of a different cliché. As he was more a person of action, not words, he could perhaps take her out to, say, a festival, and stealthily separate them from the others in the group. When the fireworks started, he would lightly take a hold of her hand. He could almost imagine the scene. Her head would snap his way, and he would already be staring at her with warmth and admiration. Quickly, before she would be able to gather the situation, he would lean over and steal a kiss, pulling back just as suddenly to see her flustered face. That would be his confession, and everything from then on would surely fall into place.

After all, if it worked for characters in shoujo manga, why couldn't it for him?

When had it happened?

It was still a fact that Ichigo had no knowledge of when exactly his feelings had developed, however he had somewhat of an idea. At one time, he had mistaken his love as simply the feeling that she was a close friend, as he had had a strange feeling of obligation to protect her from harm. When he had first begun to realize that the situation was much more complicated, and that what he felt was something more for Orihime, he thought that maybe he had gained them while protecting her in Hueco Mundo, while fighting tooth and nail with Ulquiorra, Grimmjow, and Nnoitra for the sole purpose of keeping her safe.

These, however, are only the things he used to believe. More recently, he has realized that there was always something in existence between them. A spark...a click. There has always been love for her inside of him, lingering, waiting for the right time to approach closer to his heart, and then pounce, clawing through his being and allowing a new and wonderful feeling to seep in.

Why did it happen?

Is there a reason for all of this? Many people ponder this, including our young hero. He can't help but wonder if there was a reason that he fell in love with this girl, this woman. His princess, his Orihime. He wonders if it was fate, as many would say. Was it some kind of destiny laid out before him, a path chosen for him by some higher power? He can't help but ask himself this, and is somewhat tortured by the fact that he can never know.

But, he figures, it is simply the way the cookie crumbles, the way that things just end up. Not that he could care now, though, as she snuggles into his lap, giggling, and he encloses her in his arms with a smile.

Some things are just meant to be, I suppose.

END

Man, writing this put me in a good mood. Thanks to all who read, this is only my second IchiHime fic(I mainly do RenRuki)and I would really like to ask you guys if you liked this interpretation of the pairing. I tried to make it IC, though I realize I may have gotten a little carried away with characterization in the writing process hehe. I can't really tell, as again, I don't wright for this pairing much, and I would really like to know what you guys think. Anyways...I don't own Bleach, Tite Kubo does, and I love and appreciate all opinions!


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